WEBVTT REPORTS, IF ATHLETES DO GETCONCUSSIONS IN ANY SPORT,ANOTHER APPROACH IS MEANT TOHELP THEM RECOVER WITHOUTFEELING ISOLATED.>> I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS FORTWO HOURS.AMY: LAUREL BREEN IS A JUNIOR ATPINKERTON ACADEMY.SHE PLAYS VARSITY SOCCER IN THEFALL, CLUB IN THE SPRING.SHE IS HAD THREE CONCUSSIONS.THE FIRST WHEN SHE WAS JUST 7.>> I REMEMBER WAKING UP ANDTHROWING UP AND THEN I REMEMBERWAKING UP AT MY BED AT HOME WITHMY MOM.AMY: CONCUSSIONS OCCUR IN MANYSPORTS, BUT EXPERTS SAY FOOTBALLLEADS THE WAY WHEN IT COMES TOFREQUENCY.NOW A STUDY UNDERWAY AT THEUNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ISGARNERING NATIONAL ATTENTION.THE PREMISE?RETRAIN THEM FROM THE BASICFOUNDATIONS OF TACKLING,BLOCKING, MAKING CONTACT WITHOTHER PLAYERS, WITHOUT A HELMETON.AMY: TAKING OFF THE HELMET TOREDUCE BRAIN FROM A.-- BRAIN TRAUMA.PROFESSOR ERIC SWARTZ ADMITS,IT WAS A TOUGH SELL.HE CULLED THE CONCEPT FROM HISOWN DAYS AS A RUGBY PLAYER.>> MY HEAD WAS EXPOSED AND IJUST NATURALLY WANT TO KEEP MYHEAD OUT OF CONTACT.SO I WANTED TO BRING THAT INTOTHE SPORT OF FOOTBALL TO SEE IFTHAT WAS A WAY TO CORRECT HEADFIRST CONTACT IN THE SPORT.WITHIN THIS HOUSING IS ATRIAXIAL ACCELEROMETER.AMY: THIS TINY RECEIVER RECORDSIMPACT, FORCE, ACCELERATION,LOCATION AND FREQUENCY.THE CONTROL GROUP WEARS HELMETSWITH THE SENSOR.THE TREATMENT GROUP HAS SENSORSATTACHED BUT PRACTICES TACKLINGDRILLS WITHOUT HELMETS.>> IT'S A DISCRETE PRESCRIBEDDRILL THAT THE TREATMENT GROPARTICIPATES IN, BUT ONLY FORTHE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TOCOMPLETE THAT DRILL.AMY: THE PROFESSOR SAYS LONGTERM STUDIES WITH A WIDE AGERANGE ARE NEEDED.YEARS OF RESEARCH REALLY BEFOREANY CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN.UNH IS NOW DOING PILOT RESEARCHWITH YOUTH FOOTBALL PLAYERS.>> THE RESEARCH REALLY NEEDS TODRIVE THE CHANGE.>> SHE GOT A CONCUSSION IN HERSOPHOMORE YEAR.AMY: CHANGE IS ALREADY HAPPENINGINSIDE AT LEAST 10 AT NEWHAMPSHIRE SCHOOLS SURROUNDINGCONCUSSIONS UNDER A GRANTPROGRAM CALLED CHALK TALK.>> LAST YEAR WE HAD 130.AMY: 130 STUDENTS AT ONE SCHOOLDIAGNOSED WITH CONCUSSIONS LASTYEAR ALONE.GINA BROWN'S POSITION QUICKLYSHIFTED FROM PART TIME TO FULL.SHE SAYS CHALK TALK IS ANEDUCATIONAL GAME CHANGER FORSTUDENTS.>> OTHERWISE THEY WOULD BESITTING HOME ALL THE TIME,FEELING NOT SO GREAT AND SITTINGAROUND THE HOUSE AND NOT MOVINGFORWARD WITH THEIR ACADEMICS.AMY: THIS IS CHALK TALKHEADQUARTERS AT PINKERTONACADEMY, A SCHOOL BASEDCONCUSSION MANAGEMENT PROGRAMTHAT KEEPS STUDENTS IN CLASS BUTWITH LIMITS.>> SO EVERYDAY WE COME IN AND WEFILL OUT HOW WE FEEL HOW OURSYMPTOMS ARE BETWEEN YESTERDAYAND TODAY.IT'S JUST TO GET A BETTER IDEOF HOW SHE IS FEELING AND HOW WECAN GO ABOUT ATTACKING THAT DAY.AMY: LAUREL BREEN WAS NAMED MILONDONDERRY'S OUTSTANDING TEEN.HER PLATFORM THIS YEAR ISRAISING AWARENESS ABOUTCONCUSSIONS.>> I LOVE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC ANDCOLOR.AMY: EVERY CONCUSSION DIFFERENT, SAYS BROWN.EDUCATORS AGREE, SPORTS AREIMPORTANT, FINDING THE BALANCEWITH BRAIN SAFETY IS THECHALLENGE.>> I WOULD EMPHASIZE THAT THEIR

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"I remember waking up and throwing up, and then I remember waking up at my bed at home with my mom," she said.

While concussions aren't limited to football, experts said football leads the way in frequency. A study underway at the University of New Hampshire is considering whether reducing helmet use could help.

"Retrain them from the basic foundations of tackling, blocking, making contact with other players -- without a helmet on," professor Erik Swartz said.

Swartz said that the counterintuitive idea came from his days as a rugby player.

"My head was exposed, and I just naturally want to keep my head out of contact," he said. "So I wanted to bring that into the sport of football to see if that was a way to correct head-first contact in the sport."

Participants in the study are divided into groups, with a control group wearing helmets with sensor that measure force, acceleration, location and frequency of impacts. Another group also has sensors attached, but they practice tackling drills without helmets.

"It's a discrete, prescribed drill that the treatment group participates in, but only for the amount of time it takes to complete that drill," Swartz said.

The research is in its early stages. Swartz said long-term studies with a wide age range are needed, meaning that years of research must be done before any conclusions can be drawn.

The pilot study is being done with youth football players.

Some New Hampshire schools are changing their policies in an effort to protect their student-athletes from concussions. At least 10 schools are taking part in a grant program called "Chalk Talk."

Concussion specialist Gina Brown is leading the Chalk Talk program at Pinkerton. She said that it makes a difference for students who suffer a concussion.

"Otherwise, they would be sitting home all the time, feeling not so great and sitting around the house and not moving forward with their academics," she said.

The program keeps students in class, with limits.

"So every day, we come in and we fill out how we feel, how our symptoms are between yesterday and today," Breen said. "It's just to get a better idea of how we're feeling and how we can go about attacking that day."

Breen was named Miss Londonderry's Outstanding Teen. Her platform this year is raising awareness about concussions.

Brown said that every concussion is different, and experts said that sports are important. The challenge is finding the right balance with brain safety.

"I would emphasize that their child should be competing in some kind of sport," Swartz said. "They should be physically active, and there are benefits to sport."